AICC spokesperson Jairam Ramesh criticized the “hastily made proposal” for a “proportional” increase in parliamentary seats, saying the Congress opposes “any change in the relative strength of states” in the Lok Sabha. He said such a move would permanently harm southern states like TN and Kerala compared to northern states, while also hurting north-eastern states, north-western states like Punjab and smaller states. Ramesh said that there has been informal information that the Modi government is planning a new delimitation law with a 50% increase in the seats of all states in the Lok Sabha and Assemblies.Citing Uttar Pradesh and Kerala, Ramesh said the seats in UP may increase from 80 to 120, while in Kerala the number may increase from 20 to 30. The Congress leader argued that the difference of 60 seats would increase to 90.“The opposition will take a united stand and the government’s strategy of dividing political parties will not succeed,” he said. Ramesh also rejected the government’s argument linking quotas and delimitation, citing the statement of the Registrar General of India that the census results would be available in 2027.